FACTORS AFFECTING THE ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS OF YOUNG WOMEN AT THE JAYAPURA MERCY PRINCESS ORPHANAGE

This study aims to determine the factors that influence assertive communication skills in adolescent girls at 'Panti Asuhan Putri Kerahiman Jayapura'. The concept used is assertive communication. The research method used a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews with six informants. The results showed that internal factors include fear, lack of confidence, lack of self-awareness, and emotional situations. External factors include family rules, parenting, social support at the orphanage


Introduction
Orphanages are institutions tasked with shaping the physical and psychological development of children with family conditions that do not allow them to provide both physical and psychological welfare for children.One of the orphanages in Jayapura that facilitates children and adolescent girls from various regions in Papua is the Puteri One aspect that plays a role in preventing or overcoming aggressive behavior, depression, anxiety, and other social problems is assertivity.Experimental studies conducted by Parray and Kumar (2022) show that the provision of assertive training can reduce aggressive behavior, resignation, and stress.Increasing assertivity and self-esteem in students who are the subjects of the study has an impact on increasing their academic achievement indirectly Research conducted by found that assertive communication has a significant effect on conflict management in an organization.This shows that the better assertive communication skills, the better conflict management.(Parray & Kumar, 2022).(Widyastuti et al., 2017) Assertiveness is the ability to express oneself directly, assertively, positively, and persistently to increase equality of relationships between individuals Assertivity also means respecting oneself and others.Language in assertive communication reflects values and beliefs that support assertivity, self-awareness, and awareness of others, specifically awareness of the choices we make based on how we interpret situations, and how we behave toward others Assertive communication is not just about self-disclosure but also involves understanding and respect for others.It is the ability to speak, express opinions, and express needs without causing harm to oneself or others.Bloom, et al (in) revealed assertive individuals characterized by the ability to know themselves well, know their strengths and weaknesses, and can accept all of them as they are.In the end, individuals can plan their life goals, have high self-confidence, and can make decisions.Individuals who are not assertive tend to be emotional, dishonest, not open, inhibited, and selfrejecting.(Alberti & Emmons, 2017).(Townend, n.d., 2007).(N.Hasanah et al., 2010) Individuals who exhibit assertive behavior look to their ability to clarify what they want, remain calm and confident, be aware of others' views and feelings, use appropriate body language, and clarify facts from opinions.Individuals who have assertive behavior can express their needs, desires, opinions, and feelings directly and honestly.The individual defends his or her rights in a non-aggressive manner and does not affect the rights of others to express their opinions.They value differences in views with others, as well as seek outcomes that satisfy both parties or groups (Apex Leadership Ltd, 2013).
In the context of the Jayapura Puteri Kerahiman Orphanage, research on assertive communication in adolescents has a very important relevance.Through a deeper understanding of how factors such as complex family backgrounds, lack of exemplary examples, and peer group dynamics can influence the development of assertive communication, we were able to design intervention programs tailored to the unique needs of these adolescents.
This research has the potential to provide a better view of how to overcome communication barriers that adolescents may face in an orphanage environment.Thus, this research can provide a foundation for the development of education and training strategies that support adolescents in developing assertive communication skills that will have a positive impact on various aspects of their lives.

Research Design
This research design uses qualitative research methods with a descriptive approach to describe the factors that affect assertive communication skills in adolescent girls at the Jayapura Mercy Princess Orphanage.

Population, Sampling, and Data Collection Techniques
The study population was adolescent girls living in the Jayapura Mercy Princess Orphanage.The research sample amounted to 6 informants selected by purposive sampling.Data collection techniques use in-depth interviews and observations.

Procedure
The research procedure includes the preparation stage (preparing proposals, initial observations, determining informants), data collection (in-depth interviews with informants), data analysis (using qualitative data analysis software), data interpretation (searching for the meaning of data), and drawing conclusions (summarizing research results).

Instruments
Researchers themselves as the main instrument in data collection and interpretation.Supporting instruments in the form of interview guidelines and recording devices to record interview results.Interview guidelines are adjusted based on the purpose of the study.

Data Analysis
Data analysis techniques in this study use the Miles and Huberman interactive model which consists of data reduction (sorting important data), presenting data (arranging data in an easy-to-understand form), and drawing and verifying conclusions (concluding and verifying the meaning of data) (Sugiyono, 2012).

External Factors Factors in the Family Environment
Communication rules and experiences in the family are important factors that affect the assertive communication skills of young women at the Puteri Kerahiman Orphanage in Jayapura.The research highlights that communication rules taught within families, such as how to talk to parents, siblings, and others outside the family, have a significant impact on young women's ability to express opinions, build relationships, and respond to disagreements.This shows that communication in the family is one of the factors that affect the assertive ability of adolescents.A study conducted showed that communication in the family can affect the assertivity of adolescent drug abusers.The study showed that improved communication within families can increase the assertivity of adolescent drug abusers.Good communication in the family, in this case, sharing opinions, solutions taken when there are differences of opinion, and feelings of being heard by each other is one of the factors that influence assertivity.This is in line with the conditions experienced by informants, who sometimes feel that they are not listened to, see parents overcome differences of opinion by shouting, and tend to keep their problems to themselves.(U.Hasanah et al., 2020) Several previous studies have revealed a relationship between parenting and adolescent assertivity, such as research conducted by those who obtained results that there is a contribution to democratic parenting tendencies (authoritative) with assertive behavior in early adolescents.Parents who apply democratic parenting show warmth between parents and children.In this parenting style, there are demands from parents but there is still open communication between parents and children.In democratic parenting, parents show respect for the child's point of view and independence, although there are clear boundaries.Research conducted by Muliati (2022), shows that subjects with democratic parenting are more assertive than subjects with authoritarian and permissive parenting.
In this study, one of the informants revealed that there were demands from parents, and informants were not heard.(Muliati, 2022) Other research conducted by shows that there is a relationship between parental parenting style and assertive behavior in adolescents.Parenting style is the attempt of parents to influence their children.In the study, it was found that subjects with parents who tended to apply a participatory-type parenting style tended to have a high level of assertive, compared to subjects who were nurtured with a telling-type parenting style.In participating-type parenting, parents and children always share and make decisions to solve problems through two-way communication.This is similar to the opinion of Hersey & Blanchard (in), which states that the application of a participating type parenting style can develop children's skills in saying what they want to their parents, both suggestions, opinions, and criticism.In addition, children also do not feel constrained or feel too liberated in various ways.This causes children to have confidence in expressing their opinions respect any opinion that is different from theirs, and think positively about themselves and others.(Anjar et al., 2013) (Anjar et al., 2013) Anjar et al., 2013 In orphanages, efforts to support young women in developing assertive communication skills can be better understood through concepts from the study of assertive communication theory.For example, the concepts of punishment, reward, and modeling outlined by Fauziah (in) strengthen understanding of the impact of the family environment on the assertive communication behavior of young women.Thus, the results of research findings on family environmental factors can be directed to formulate intervention approaches that are more in line with the unique needs of adolescent girls in orphanages, by the concepts of assertive communication from theoretical studies.The integration of research results and theoretical studies also provides a foundation for the development of education and training strategies that support young women in developing assertive communication skills that will have a positive impact on various aspects of their lives Goddess, 2021

Factors in the Orphanage
The orphanage environment has a significant influence on the assertive communication skills of young women.From the findings, several factors in the orphanage environment that affect the assertive communication skills of adolescent girls include less supportive social interaction, lack of security and privacy, and limitations in expressing opinions or desires.emphasizes that the social environment plays an important role in the process of human communication and its influence on the development of assertive communication among individuals.Repetition of experiences of lack of support and lack of privacy in social interactions in orphanages can hinder young women from developing their assertive communication skills by assertive communication theory which emphasizes the importance of supportive interactions and space for individuals to express opinions freely.Sarwono (2022) The results of research conducted, indicate that social support can influence the appearance of assertive behavior.This is because good social support will be characterized by positive interaction and communication between individuals.The characteristic of good social support is getting emotional support expressed through positive feelings such as care, care, and empathy for others.In addition, reward support through assessment, motivation, reward, and support is also a good indicator of social support.The number of children and adolescents in the Putri Kerahiman Jayapura orphanage is quite large, with 4 caregivers so that it can cause the social support they need has not been fully met.
The emotional support that each individual desperately needs to develop optimally has not reached the adolescents in the Mercy Daughter Orphanage comprehensively and deeply.This can be an obstacle in developing adolescent assertive skills.(Hadziqoh et al., 2023) (Hadziqoh et al., 2023) In addition, it is important to note that the experience of dissent, the experience of listening, and the experience of expressing opinions in an orphanage environment also have a significant impact on the assertive communication skills of young women.Young women express fear, shyness, nervousness, lack of confidence, and a lack of selfawareness that hinder their ability to communicate assertively.
In the context of orphanages, the integration of findings with theoretical studies highlights the urgency in initiatives to help girls overcome internal barriers that hinder their ability to communicate assertively and facilitate the development of positive self-confidence and self-awareness in their social interactions.

Internal Factors
The results of the study on Internal Factors point highlight internal factors that affect the assertive communication skills of adolescent girls at the Jayapura Mercy Orphanage.These internal factors include fear, self-confidence, environmental influences, shyness, and communication patterns within the family.Young women are faced with challenges in expressing opinions, building relationships, addressing disagreements, and rejecting assertively.From the perspective of theoretical studies, the findings are by psychological concepts that emphasize the importance of internal factors in the development of assertive communication skills.Internal factors such as fear, self-confidence, and communication patterns within the family are internal aspects that influence an individual's communication behavior.Sarwono (2022) also stated that the tendency to refrain from expressing opinions, feeling insecure, or feeling embarrassed can be an obstacle to developing assertive communication skills as seen in the results of this study.
Internal factors, such as fear, self-confidence, and communication patterns within the family, are consistent with psychological concepts that emphasize the role of internal behavior in the formation of assertive communication skills of adolescent girls at the Jayapura Mercy Orphanage.Sarwono (2022) emphasizes that internal factors, such as selfconfidence and communication patterns, play an important role in the development of assertive communication among individuals.Thus, the results of this study provide a deeper understanding of how internal factors affect assertive communication skills in adolescent girls in orphanage contexts.The integration of research findings with theoretical studies also highlights the urgency of establishing a supportive and secure environment to facilitate the development of assertive communication skills of adolescent girls in orphanages.This research provides a deeper understanding of the impact of internal factors, such as fear, self-confidence, and communication patterns in the family, which are very relevant in the context of developing assertive communication among adolescent girls in the Jayapura orphanage.Thus, it highlights the need for interventions focused on confidence building, fear management, and the formation of supportive communication patterns in efforts to develop assertive communication skills in adolescent girls in orphanages.
In addition, the results of this study show that internal factors also include the experience of hearing and expressing the opinions of young women at the Jayapura Mercy Orphanage.Experiences such as lack of confidence, shyness, and environmental influences also play a role in influencing the assertive communication skills of young women in orphanages.This is in line with theories that emphasize the importance of internal factors in shaping an individual's communication skills, particularly in the context of adolescent girls in orphanages.Thus, interventions that pay attention to internal aspects such as self-confidence development, shyness management, and improved ability to express opinions can be relevant strategies in efforts to develop assertive communication in adolescent girls in orphanages.

Conclusion
This study concluded that several factors affect the assertive communication skills of adolescent girls at the Jayapura Mercy Orphanage, both external and internal factors.(2) Factors in the orphanage environment, such as unsupportive social interaction, lack of security and privacy, and limitations in expressing opinions or desires.Internal factors that influence include: (1) Fear, lack of confidence, environmental influences, and shyness in expressing opinions.
(2) Less assertive in rejecting, less tolerant in addressing differences of opinion.
(3) Lack of awareness about oneself.These factors significantly affect the assertive communication skills of adolescent girls at the Jayapura Mercy Orphanage in terms of openness, relationship formation, opinion delivery, and conflict resolution.
Influential external factors include (1) Factors in the family environment, such as communication rules taught, experiences of dissent, and communication patterns in the family.